Body striping tool



Jan. 26, 1932. E. w. Fox ET AL BODY STRIPING TOOL Filed Aug; 8. 1927 2 Sheets-Shea?I l Jan. 26, 1932. E. w. Fox ET AL l BODY STRIPING TOOL Filed Aug. 8. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-fics EDWARD W. FOX .AND VINOENJ." H. DIRKES; F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORS TO GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION, DELAWARE OF DETROIT, HIOHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF :BODY STRIPING TOOL Application led'ingnit 8, 1987. `VSerial No. 811,497.

rihis invention relates to apparatus particularly designed for applying ornamental stripes to motor vehicle bodies.

At the present time,- stripin is done by ,skilled painters equiped with rushes having bristles narrowe down to a thin edge.

. in view of the skill required, competent painters are hard to obtain and the expense of striping is great..

ln the present application, there is disclosed a striping tool which can be successfully employed by unskilled labor. The tool is designed so that it may be used either to produce one stripe or a row of parallel stripes. it consists essentially of a feeding device for contacting with the Work and applying the stripe, the feeding device being supplied with paint or other striping material from a suitable reservoir. The tool is provided with a shut-od valve, preferably operated by a plunger extending tothe point of the feeding device, for cutting od the flow from the reservoir when the device is removed from the Work.

We have found it desirable to provide en agitator for mixing the paint in the reservoir during the striping operation so as to insure that it Will be in lproper condition to dow freely on to the Wor rlFhe agitator ma consist of a simple paddle Wheel mounte on a shaft driven by an air or electric motor. In case an air motor is employed, We may conduct the exhaust to a point Where it may lolov.1 upon the stripes already applied and dry them.

in some cases, particularly Where severai stripes are applied at one time, it may be desirable to mount the feeding devices so that they Will be yieldingly held against the body, thus insuring that'each feeding point will be at all times in contact with the Work, Whatever the curvature of the surface to be striped. in the drawings: v Figure l is a side elevation partly in section showing the tool in position to appiy stripes to the beading on an automobile body.

Figure 2 is a section on line 22 of l? igure i.

Figure 3 is a Section on line 3-3 of Figr ure i.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4--4 of Fig ure i.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure i but with all parts in eievation. l

Figure 6 is a top plan View of the construction of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a view corresponding to Figure 5 but showing a simplified construction.

Figures 8 and 9 are details of modiiied arrangements for spring mounting the feeding pens.

kFigures 10 and l1 are sectionai views showing modified forms of feeding devices. Uur striper consists of a U-shaped frame l() in the ends of which is journailed a shaft 12. Ait one end of the shaft is keyed the rotor 18 of an air motor. The rotor is enclosed in housing 18 supplied with compressed air through tangentially arranged conduit 20. Air leaves the casing 18 through exhaust pipe 22 and is preferably conducted to a point adjacent the body Where it exerts a drying action on the stripes previously applied. This Wili be later described.

Upon the shaft l2 are likewise mounted reservoirs 24, each of which is provided with a suitable port 26 for the introduction of' paint, "Duco, or other striping duid. rihe reservoirs are provided with vents 30 equipped with ball valves 82 for the admission of air to replace the iiuid fed to the tool. As it is essential that the duid be agitated to prevent separation of the pigment and vehicle, We have mounted on the shaft i2 Within each of the housings 24 an agitator 3ftin the form of a paddle vvlieel. This is particularly desirable in the case of gold striping because with this Huid, the pigment will invariably separate out if the duid is not mixed and remixed with great frequency. The manner of Jceding the striping duid from the reservoir to the Work is the saine in each case so that but one of the devices vv'iil be described.

]Leading from each of the reservoirs 2e is pens communi-y used by draftsmen. Esch consists of a central stri 42 of steel or other flexible material and'si e strips 44 on either side of the central strip. The central strip is provided with opposite bosses v46 from which project threaded studs`48 extending through perforations in the side strips and equipped with nuts 50. The strips converge toward their ends and by adjustin the nuts 50 the gaps between the ends of t e strips may be regulated. Obviously, with the construction so far described, striping fluid would fiow from the reservoir to the space between the strips and thence pass by capillary action to the point of the feeding device and thence on to the work.

While we have shown aconsiderable gap between the ends of the bores 38 and the point of the'feeding device, it is obvious that this may be reduced or increased as found most desirable.

In order to prevent the loss of striping fluid y when the tool is removed from the work, We

Iaus

have provided valves in the form of springpressed balls 52 shown as located adjacent the point of connection of the reservoirs with the tubes 36. The ball engage seats formed at the inner ends of the bores 38. Each ball is mounted on a wire 54 extending through the passage 38, through guide aperture 56 formed in bosses 46, rthe wire terminating at the point of the feeding device in ball member 58. Normally, the sprin s 53 cause the members 58 to project beyon the tips of the strips 44 so that upon beginnin the striping operation, the members 58 are epressed,'the balls 52 unseated and striping fluid is supplied to the feeding device. l

It should be noted that the rotation of the agitator creates a slight pressure in the reservoir so that there is a forced flow of fluid to the feeding device when the ballsA are unseated. The amount of this pressure may be regulated by varying the speed of theY air motor. The members 58 serve to assist in spreadin the striping material on the Work and may 'e given any desired shape to facilitate this action. t

While we have shown each feeding device to be composed of three strips it is obvious that a greater or less number may be employed if a wider or narrower stripe is desired.

In Figure 10 We have shown a modification of the feeding device in which four strips of steel are employed; Here reference character 42 indicates the central strip, while the side strips are indicated by the reference characters 44. The construction is otherwise the same as that shown in Figure 1.

In Figure 11 we have shown a modification of the feedin device in which but a pair of steel strips 4% are made use of. This construction is likewise the same in other respects as that illustrated in Figure 1.

Figures 1 and 5 show the manner of using the device. 60 indicates a portion of the metal bead now commonly used on automobile bodies and to which it is desired to apply the stri es. Adjacent the body may be mounte a pair of tracks 62 on which the apparatus is supported by means of rollersl 64 clamped to the tubes 36. The clamp carrying the outer roller 64 may, as shown in the drawings, engage three of the tubes 36 so as to hold them properly spaced. Obviously, by the substitution of clamps having different spacing or b3' employing adjustable clamps, t e feeding evices may be located at different distances apart, the tubes 36 yielding sufficiently for the slight variations necessary. The operator rests the striper on the rails 62 in the manner shown and after having first adjusted the strips 42-44 so as to obtain the proper width of stripe, starts the air motor thereby driving the agitators 34, and presses the feedin points against the body. This action resu ts in unseating the valves 52 and striping fluid is supplied to the points. rlhe striper is then drawn along the body and the stripes are applied.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the exhaust pipe 22 of the pump may be led to nozzle 68` supported from the fixture in position so that a blast of air is directed on the freshly applied stripes so that the latter are thereby quickly dried.

Our apparatus is capable of considerable modification; thus, in the simplified form shown in Figure 7 but one feeding device 36 is employed. To insure even feed of striping fluid to the points, these may be spring urged against the Work by utilizing the modications shown in either Figures 8 or 9. Thus, in Figure 8, the tube 36 is provided with an outwardly turned flange 7 (l and within the tube is telescoped a short pipe 74 mounted in the reservoir. A spring 76 is interposed between the f iange 7 O and the body of the reservoir to yieldingly urge the feeding device outwardly. A pin and slot connection, such as shown'at L78 may be employed tolimit the outward movement of the tube 36.

In the construction shown in Figure 9, the outer strips 40-44 are mounted on a sleeve 8O encircling the tube 36 and yieldingly urged outwardly by means of coil spring 82. Stops 84 may be provided to permit disengagement of the strips from the tube.

While we have'shown the tool as supported in use upon rails 62, it is obvious that various other types of guiding means may be employed or these may be dispensed with altogether.

Various other changes in construction will suggest themselves to those skilled in body work.

We claim:

l. The combination of a plurality of fluid feeding devices, means for supplying said devices with fluid, and a yieldable connection interposed in each of said devices for permitvll0 ting them to adjust themselves to irregulari- 3. in striping apparatus the combination .of a fluid reservoir, a fluid feeding device l communicating with the reservoir for applying theiuid, a rotary agitator comprising a blade in the reservoir, said agitator closely ittingtlie periphery of the reservoir butbeing spaced from the other Walls of the reser-l voir to permit fluid to pass from one side to the other of the-agitator blade, said reservoir being provided in its periphery and adjacent the path of movement of said agitator with a port adapted to conduct fluid to said feeding device, and means for driving said agitator.

d. A hand striping tool comprising a reservoir, a fluid feeding conduit mounted on the reservoir, duid iiow controlling means for the conduit, said conduit .comprising yieldable telescopic sections to permit the -ceding de lvice to follow the irregularities in the Work.

5. in a striping tool the combination of a frame, a shaft journalled in the frame, means for driving the shaft, reservoirs carried by the shaft, means for keying the reservoirs against rotation with the shaft uid impelfI lingmeans mounted on the sha and housed Within the reservoirs, and duid feeding' devices leading from the reservoirs, and pro vided with means for controlling the ioiv of duid therethrough.

6. in a. hand striping tool the combination of a U shaped frame, a shat carried in the :trame and bridging the U, a reservoir mounted on the shaft, ineens for locking 'the reservoir to the frame, a conduit leading from the reservoir and provided with duid eediirJ means, and means for controlling the iiovv o fluid through the conduit.

7. ln a portable hagd-operated striping device for automobile bodies, in combination a pair of applicators for forming two spaced parallel stripes in the same plane, a. third applicator for forming in the same planean intermedi'ate stripe contiguous with said parallel stripes, and means for conducting the striping duid to said applicators.

8. lin a striping device for automobile bodies, means for producing a stripe as the device is moved over the body, means for producing in the same plane a margin for said stripe, and means for guiding both of said as. the device is moved over nthe bod and means for producing in theY same p ane a margin for said stripe along each edge thereof. l

10. In a striping device for automobile bodies, in combination, a pair of ,applicators single plane, a-third applicator for simultaneously forming an intermediate stri e touching said arallel stripes, and means' or conducting striping Huid to said applicators.

In testimony whereof we aix our signatuk s. f

re `EDWARD W.v FOX.

VINCENT DIRKES.

for forming two spaced Apaiallel'stripes in a 7 

